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Facial injury has Red Wings' Kronwall a question mark

DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings are used to dealing with injuries this season, so the fact that they might have to play another game without top defenseman Niklas Kronwall shouldn't faze them much.

Kronwall had a puck slide up his stick at the morning skate Wednesday at Joe Louis Arena and hit him in the mouth, cutting his chin and damaging his teeth. Kronwall, who has missed the past two games with a concussion, was sent to see a dentist and is listed as a game-time decision for the team's game Wednesday against the visiting Ottawa Senators (7:30 p.m., TSN).

The Red Wings recalled rookie defenseman Xavier Ouellet from Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League in case Kronwall can't play.

While Kronwall is questionable, the other half of its top defense pairing, Jonathan Ericsson, is out with a shoulder injury that's likely to sideline him for up to three weeks.

If Kronwall can't go, it's another opportunity for the Red Wings' younger defenders to show their skills, the way they did in helping goalie Jimmy Howard shut out the high-scoring San Jose Sharks through regulation and overtime Monday.

"What I find with injuries in the short term, sometimes the other guys get opportunities," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "It’s just maintaining that pace. Lots of guys can bring it for three or four games, can get excited for a while, but it's the [regulars] who can bring that every day who are the stars and they're hard to replace."

Howard will get the start in net for the Red Wings, who will be trying to get veteran Daniel Alfredsson a victory in his first game against the team he captained for 14 seasons.

The Senators will start Craig Anderson in net. In the lineup for the first time this season will be 20-year old center Mika Zibanejad, who likely will play in the middle of the fourth line Tuesday; he was recalled from the AHL on Tuesday.

"We just want to see [Zibanejad] go out and play and do what he does," Senators coach Paul MacLean said. "He's a big guy that can skate. He can play with a lot of speed and power to the net and really shoot the puck, so that's what we want to see."

"We just feel if we can get [Corvo] in the lineup consistently, it will give those two or three guys to maybe get a chance to get their legs under them a little bit more and then we can get them back in the lineup," MacLean said.